©SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/BYSORA Using Robotics in Laboratories During the COVID-19 Outbreak A Review T By Patrick Courtney and Paul G. Royall he clinical and analytical laboratory has been at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This is where testing is carried out, guiding hospitalization and providing information on the spread of the disease. It is also central to Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2020.3045067 Date of current version: 4 February 2021 28 * IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE * MARCH 2021 the development of new medicines and the vaccines that are still being tested. Laboratories make extensive use of robotics and automation to safely improve quality and productivity at an acceptable cost. However, laboratories are often hidden from view, and the specific needs and applications are not widely known within the robotics research community. In this special issue on the robotics response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we present a 1070-9932/21©2021IEEEhttp://www.SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/BYSORA